[Note: this was written to appear in the newsletter of my organization, Peaceful Uprising.  I will leave it in this form so maybe, just maybe it will move YOU to join]

Hello Peaceful Uprisers!  It is good to be stateside again.

You may know that I went to Copenhagen to attend/participate in/keep an eye on the UNFCCC 15th Council of the Parties — or COP15 –  climate summit. It was one of the most intense, whirlwind experiences of my life, and I was there for over 20 days, so I won’t even try to relate ALL of the things I did there in one post, but upon request, I will share some of the highlights, and hopefully provide some inspiration for your own activism.

As far as the political why and how of the failure of COP15 — well, that is a really long story that will be included in next month’s issue. In a nutshell, COP15 failed because of 3 main reasons: 1) There aren’t enough people “taking it to the streets” (particularly in the USA) and making it clear that survival is non-negotiable. This country never changes without a mass movement of citizens DEMANDING it, and the clean energy shift will be no exception. This apathy is partly due to the so-called “big green” groups like NRDC and WWF that are not telling the truth about how they are falling short of what is needed to create a survival future.  2) There is a lack of leadership, ownership, and foresight on this planet (consider the main debate: on one hand, we have the annihilation of 1000′s of species, entire SOCIETIES of people, and an uninhabitable planet for our children. On the other, we might have to pay 15 or 20 dollars more a month on our utilities. And its a nail-biter? Our priorities are wacked! And 3) Corporations and their profit equations own our political leaders and many of our minds. See, healthy planetary change is not as profitable as the status-quo, and politicians vote along donor lines more so than public opinion polls. Of the People and By the People has been hijacked by special interests.

Ah, that brings up a good story about corporate influence. Coca Cola was the main sponsor of “Hopenhagen“, which was the unscrupulous PR campaign commissioned by the UN to turn the main square of the city of Copenhagen into a concert space, media hub, and  all-around feel-good marketing opportunity venue.  Billboards lined the square with soft messages of hope (as in, we hope that our leaders will do what is needed, instead of making them do what is needed  [an admission of helplessness]), and all over town, Coca-Cola had saturated public space with “A Bottle of Hope” posters.

I spent most of my time with The Yes Men and their small crew, putting together elaborate shenanigans and being ready to participate should shenanigans find us. One day, I arrived at HQ (an art gallery downtown that we were using as a workshop) where people were talking about what we could do to expose Coke for their hypocrisy (Coke is the kind of corporation that executes labor organizers and destroys villages and uses more water that you could ever imagine, to name just a few things). So we hatched a plan, clapped our hands together, kicked it into overdrive, and 4 hours later we had written and sent out a press release to the major outlets covering “Hopenhagen”, compiled a list of talking points about Coke’s greatest crimes, and thrown together a fake commercial that was intended to project onto the gigantic globe in the middle of the square. Off to the corporate festival we went. Here’s what we did:

Mike (the Yes Man) and Laurel (a Yes Woman) took on the persona’s of Coke executives who were so fed up with their company’s outright lies that they were calling the media to announce that they had written and taken a pledge to never drink Coke again. With the cameras rolling, group after group of Hopenhagen-goers took the pledge (I went first of course, acting like a passer-by). While outside, on a globe the size of a medium-sized house, an old Coca-Cola commercial came on, with the fuzzy polar bears (do you remember them?) interlaced with footage of real polar bears drowning. In that special cursive font that Coke uses, instead of saying “Always Coca Cola” it read, “Never Coca Cola”.

That was just one afternoon/evening.  Things were happening every day! The point of that story is that a group like Peaceful Uprising and The Yes Men don’t wait around and wait for permission from a board of directors before we act. And when we act, we move to expose the truth creatively, nonviolently, and powerfully.

I’ll give you another example of how creative, intelligent protest can make a difference. Early in the trip, I managed to get a badge for access to the “Fresh Air Center“, which was a cavernous cafe in downtown Copenhagen that had been transformed into THE off-site media hub for journalists to use. A live feed was constantly streaming into the room from the plenary at the Bella Center (where the COP15 was actually being held), and computers lined all the walls. One evening, we heard that the assistant Secretary-General of the UN (second in command) was coming by to take a few questions and see the place. So we arranged to do an absurdist fashion show for him after he was done talking. As soon as he finished, we threw on some Survivaballs (funny inflatable, round suits that are meant to represent an option for the very wealthy to stay safe from climate change) and cat walked around the cafe. We were interrupted (planned) by the Climate Debt Agents (who were all over the place in Copenhagen, wearing bright red suits and sunglasses to symbolically collect the money owed to developing nations who are being affected the most by the pollution put out by developed nations) who took the stage and made their case. Apparently, the assistant Secretary General was so moved by this that he canceled his plans to meet Ban Ki-Moon (the Secretary-General himself) at the Bella Center so he could write about it in his personal blog.

One more story for this issue…this is my personal favorite.

As part of a super-elaborate hoax, (more on that next time) we rebuilt the press briefing room (watch first video) of the Bella Center in the basement of our workshop. My primary mission for going to Copenhagen was to provide some sort of contrast, some sort of message of hope that wasn’t this baloney about crossing our fingers. I knew that COP15 would fall short, but what would a good deal even look like? I was afraid that the majority of people would have no idea in their minds about what success in Copenhagen would entail, thus having no constructive place to direct their anger and disappointment. So, after the Great Canada Hoax was finished, we opened up the set for people to come down and record videos of themselves making announcements from “The Bella Center.” Since we were so close to the Fresh Air Center, I ran back and forth bringing leaders of the global climate movement and anyone who was interested into the basement to record a statement. I helped create the “Good COP” website, which looks exactly like the real COP15 website, but ours just has videos. We had Jessy Tolkan, fresh out af a meeting with Al Gore, Bill McKibben came, Daryl Hannah, and even George Monbiot from The Nation to name a few. It was a blast, I’m telling you. If you watch nothing else, see Mike’s introduction and the announcement by Jessy Tolkan (leader of the Energy Action Coalition.) Jessy had zero time to prepare, and I still get goosebumps when I think of her video. It is on the top of the column of videos on the left, in the middle of the three.

That’s it for this issue, my friends. I hope you don’t mind if I share some more stories in a couple of weeks. It’s my hope that you take away from my experience an enthusiasm for repairing the world creatively, and by taking chances, and putting yourself in the middle of the action. I would live to answer any questions you might have. Feel free to email me at peacefuluprising@gmail.com. Type “Attn. Ashley” in the subject line.

If you want in on the wealth of projects like these that we are currently working on, make sure you are on our Action Team!

Here’s to 2010 — the year we stopped asking for a livable future and started demanding it.

(And had a hell of a good time doing it.)

Ashley Anderson

“According to the Swedish Nobel Prize winner for economics Gunner
Myrdal, it is possible for a social project to prevail if it is
purposefully and tirelessly pursued by a impassioned following of just
five percent. These will then bring an additional twenty five percent
of the society in tow. That is sufficient, because the majority of
people is habitually indifferent-but, in principle, they are ready to
go along with movements and the forces behind them if these can offer
the general public a persuasive prospect.”

Dr. John Smith responds:

“For the last 20 years, The NRA has enjoyed extremely disproportionate public policy clout because of its impassioned and unyielding members.  Despite a small membership they have won virtually every legislative battle they have waged because they care more than anyone else, and give more money than anyone else (per capita and most of them are not wealthy.)

They have reached such pre-eminent status that even most of the reliable “liberal” politicians are inexplicably afraid to publicly denounce them or even vote against them.  They are the most successful lobbying force of all time (except perhaps the health insurance industry, the banks, the military indutrial complex, the…)   We should spend more time trying to analyze the reasons for their success.”

My reply:

Nothing focuses a person like a firearm, and there is hardly anything more sacred to Americans than the Constitution.  This issue is heavy on the more basal, physical/power/dominance end of the spectrum than matters that require more imagination, like the effect of climate change on future generations, or a basic loyalty to the natural systems that created our very bodies.

US President Barack Obama inspires thousands of people with a message of eventual peace

Many feel that a Nobel Peace Prize was a bit hasty

“Mr. Obama has been persistent in his message, from the beginning of his career in the Senate, through his historic election, and now in the early days of his presidency,” Said an international peace activist spokesperson. “His eloquent talking points and lofty promises have roused the hopes of all peace-loving people of the Earth.  Today we honor that ambition, and say, “Sounds GREAT! Now get to it!”

The US president has come under fire recently from some of his own supporters for what they perceive to be inconsistencies between Mr. Obama’s message and actual policy decisions he has made.  The increasingly disillusioned base points to Obama’s effort to escalate the war in Afghanistan, maintain Bush-era military spending, reauthorize the PATRIOT act and perpetuate secret CIA prisons as examples of why they believe a Nobel Peace Prize may be premature.

“I woke up today to the news that Obama had won the Nobel Peace Prize,” said Jamie Salt, a self-described “American progressive” that campaigned for Obama last fall.  “My immediate reaction was, ‘Obama won the Nobel Prize?  That’s like someone getting a first place trophy for a marathon by talking about how fast they can run.’  In my opinion, Obama still has 20 miles to go.”

“Then I heard that he was getting the Go Get ‘Em Tiger! Award,” Jamie continued. “and that makes more sense.  Indeed, Mr. President.  We believe you can win.  You’ve got the overwhelming majority cheering you on.  Now quit shaking hands and hit the pavement.”

Online petitions are springing up

Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has proposed an amendment to EPA’s fiscal 2010 spending bill that would strip EPA of the ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from coal plants and polluting industries.  Such an amendment could seriously undermine the US’ leverage to negotiate a sufficient climate treaty in Copenhagen.

On Monday, 32 environmental groups sent a letter urging the Senate to reject Murkowski’s draft amendment. Among the letters’ contentions:

“The Murkowski amendment seeks to exempt from the Clean Air Act the biggest global
warming polluters. The amendment would let Big Oil, dirty coal, and other big polluters off the
hook for their carbon dioxide emissions, undermining the Clean Air Act’s protections for public
health and the environment. These sources are responsible for the lion’s share of U.S. carbon
dioxide emissions.

The Murkowski amendment delays the transition to clean energy. Exempting the biggest
sources of carbon dioxide from the Clean Air Act will delay our nation’s transition to efficiency,
solar, wind, and other sources of clean energy – sources that won’t run out, will only grow
cheaper over time, don’t harm our environment or public health, and will create millions of
clean energy jobs.”

Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the EPA, and some Senators have indicated that they must fight this amendment in any way they can. “I don’t know that we can stop [Murkowski] from offering her amendment,” said Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) “We may want to table it. We may want to try and defeat it. We may want to offer a second degree. All of the above. Or one of the above.”

However, conservative Democrats are not as decided in their opposition to the amendment.  The vote could be close.  Online petitions are circulating right now, including:

CREDO: Tell the Senate: Hands off the EPA

1Sky: URGENT: Call your Senators and tell them to vote NO on the Murkowsky amendment

For a plain-English explanation of the role of the EPA in regulating carbon emissions, please read David Robert’s article in Grist, “Everything you always wanted to know about EPA greenhouse gas regulations, but were afraid to ask.”

“Write a 2-page paper exposing the myths of global warming, and giving scientific information show that global warming is not the major catastrophe the media would have us believe. Must include a full bibliography and include a copy of your highlighted sources.”

Of course, I had to sleep on this before I trusted myself to react.

The next morning, I decided I needed a couple of questions answered before I could decide what to do about this. Here’s what I asked and what I found out:

Q: Was the teacher giving some sort of clever lesson aimed at waking the students up to the overwhelming evidence in favor of global warming? A: No. In fact, the teacher specifically told the students that they could NOT turn in a paper to the contrary or they would receive no credit.

Q: How could the teacher get AWAY with this? A: The teacher isn’t getting away with it. Disciplinary action is being taken by the school.

Here is an image of the assignment, complete with doodles:

So I threw this crazy thing out there for some feedback. What could we gain from this teacher’s mistake? I posted it to a couple of energy-oriented email list serves, to see what they had to say. I could not believe the response it invoked. Even a leader in national efforts to push “clean coal” expressed incredulity. I then emailed this to a few other people outside of Utah and found immediate interest in covering the story. There was a common theme among those that replied: they want the name of the teacher, the location of the school, and they want everyone to know that this insane indoctrination cannot go unpunished.

Whew! Before I could do that, I had to know where this was coming from. Finding something like this by chance is the same as finding an ant in your picnic basket — for every one you see, there are a lot more.

If Utah had a queen ant, it would logically be the Governor, right? Well, it turns out, that works. Global warming is my new Governor’s , but not for the usual reasons: “For anybody to say that the debate is over [regarding man-made global warming] is to not be out in the marketplace and see that the debate is raging,” [Governor] Herbert said last week. He plans to “have a healthy discussion and develop policy that makes sense going forward on some kind of cost-to-benefit analysis.” It seems our governor wants to figure out how credible scientific evidence is by measuring it against the impact it has on your wallet.

Obviously this teacher’s (now infamous) assignment it is indicative of a greater problem, but how can it serve as a meaningful tool to fix that problem? Should we go after the offender? Why or why not? That’s what this is about, right? Let me grab my glasses and plaid wool jacket for the next three paragraphs:

As I see it, the desire to bring justice to an ethical violation such as this is raw human energy. In this emotional response lies the power that fuels a movement. This high school assignment and the sheer audacity it represents give this passion a target. But we must ask ourselves, whenever our torches our lit, how will our next move achieve climate justice?

The climate movement is finally on the offensive, and it feels good. (See www.glenmcarthybeck.com, and joewilsonisyourpreexistingcondition.com, for example.) The well-funded opponents of reason have been cheating, by forging letters to Congress, legislating from the corporate-sponsored pundit’s chair (if that isn’t anti-American, what is?), and faking grassroots campaigns. What is worse, they have been winning. (A weakened climate bill and Van Jones are couple of casualties.) The climate movement has been, until recently, hesitant to embrace an approach that may be confused with this embarrassing garbage.

If it is an option to be healthy, it is agood idea to take advantage of that option.

The things humans crave, like happiness, fulfillment, and discovery, are easier to acheive when the body is strong.  The body can be a distraction, it is wise to minimize that distraction if you seek those things.

Illness occurs.  But if you don’t have a deep and well trained understanding of peace, you will lose all access to happiness when you are sick.  It is wise to prepare for sickness by practicing letting go of things that you don’t need, while you are well.  Because health leaves everyone eventually.

- http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/3138/ms19.jpg – Uploaded by ARCatholic.

How Health Care Reform Would Work: The Flowchart | GOOD.

Banner Dropping

Salt Lake City UT, August 13, 2009—The banner sat on the edge of the railing, and we peered down below at the thousands of concertgoers moving like ants through Gallivan Plaza.  It was dusk, and from the top of the parking garage we could see the Great Salt Lake ablaze with light from the setting sun. A perfect moment for some direct action.

It’s hard to get many people to an earnest rally or protest, but organize a flashmob, and suddenly you have a crowd.
The event gained incredible momentum through word of mouth and Facebook, where over 2000 people were invited to participate.  Around 300 people actually hit the ground, which in my mind, is a success. Most of the flash activists were young people, and this was undoubtedly their first experience taking direct action for climate change. The action garnered a story in the Salt Lake Tribune, and managed to agitate some people, catalyzing meaningful discussion about what we need to do to ensure a liveable future.
With newfound momentum, Peaceful Uprising is planning a campaign to train activists and build awareness as Copenhagen approaches, and hopes to send a student contingent to the streets in December.

Rick Egan/The Salt Lake Tribune

Peaceful Uprising is an activist group whose mission is to demand that our leaders provide a livable world for our children. Peaceful Uprising was formed to train, support and defend those who engage in nonviolent direct action to protect our future from climate change.  The group was formed in January of 2009 by Tim DeChristopher, who disrupted a federal auction of public lands to oil and gas developers.  For more information about Peaceful Uprising, visit www.peacefuluprising.org

link to story and images in the Salt Lake Tribune: http://www.sltrib.com/ci_13065009?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com

Jessi Carrier, co-director Peaceful Uprising
801-608-9652
jessi.a.carrier@gmail.com